As we enter a new chapter in history, we reflect on the happenings of the past, the struggles of the present, and the hopes and dreams of the future. In light of recent events along with the radical reform of the Arab nations, it can be assumed that the world in which we live will be changed monumentally. As new technologies develop and contact between people becomes easier and swifter, a new generation of humanity emerges - the good and the bad.
Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al Zawahiri is the most likely to succeed bin Laden as leader. With him comes a greater emphasis on the utilization of the social media. To gain followers, Zawahiri has contacted individuals through sites akin to Facebook and Twitter, bringing his influence a lot closer to home. He has no doubt observed what the power of social networks can do to a country in turmoil, and has decided to adopt similar tactics. It's sad to think that considering the number of teenagers who use these sites, most of Zawahiri's converts are likely to be within that age group. Only time will tell how this unfolds, so speculation is useless. Yet one thing is for certain: the emerging popularity of the social media as a tool for terror has opened up plenty of crevasses for people to squeeze into, and will make it that much harder to track suspects in the years to come. A tough challenge. That hasn't stopped humanity before.
Technology has definatly improved society greatly. It is strange to think that when I was in fourth grade watchig saved by the bell, they used brick phones and everythin seem so "dated". Now leaders of countries are using social networking and technology to their advantage. This will definately be a challenge for our nation for tracking purposes. However as the years progress it will only become harder to track people. Our nation and other cointries will just have to work harder to overcome these future obstacles.
ReplyDeleteOsama bin Laden had A LOT of power and influence when it came to al Qaeda. Zawahiri doesn't have the resources that the mastermind of 9/11 did. He may try and start a war with the United States, but there won't be nearly as many followers and the attacks will be much more limited when it comes to the amount of funding for their weapons of mass destruction. Social terror would be a bit of an issue, but tracking devices on such computers will fix that problem in a hurry. AND, like everyone says, you CAN"T ERASE ANYTHING OFF THE INTERNET. If there's even any hint of an act of terrorism, you just signed your own death warrant.
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